Multi-Zone Spinneret, Apparatus and Method for Making Filaments and Nonwoven Fabrics Therefrom

A process for melt-spinning polymeric filaments, comprising:

• extruding molten polymer through a spinneret to produce a plurality of extruded filaments below the spinneret;
• passing the plurality of extruded filaments through a quench region below the spinneret, wherein said extruded filaments are quenched by directing at least one stream of cooling gas beneath the spinneret and across the extruded filaments to provide a plurality of quenched filaments;
• and
• collecting the plurality of quenched filaments,
• wherein the spinneret comprises:
• a spinneret body having a non-circular periphery and is configured to provide a uniform filament denier, the spinneret body has an overall length to hydraulic diameter ratio and defining orifices extending through the spinneret body, wherein the orifices comprise capillaries that open at a face of the spinneret body for polymer filament extrusion therefrom, wherein the capillaries are arranged in a plurality of different rows at the face of the spinneret body, and wherein the plurality of different rows are arranged into a plurality of different zones at the face of the spinneret body, wherein the plurality of different zones includes:
• (i) a first zone located centrally at the face of the spinneret body, comprising a plurality of first rows, each of said first rows comprising a plurality of first capillaries, wherein the first capillaries are arranged in a first capillary density, and the first capillaries individually having a first cross-sectional shape, a first hydraulic diameter, a first length, and a first length to hydraulic diameter ratio,
• (ii) a second zone located adjacent to the first zone at the face of the spinneret body, comprising a plurality of second rows, each of said second rows comprising a plurality of second capillaries, wherein the second capillaries are arranged in a second capillary density, and the second capillaries individually having a second cross-sectional shape, a second hydraulic diameter, a second length, and a second length to hydraulic diameter ratio, and
• (iii) a third zone located adjacent to the first zone at the face of the spinneret body, comprising a plurality of third rows, each of said third rows comprising a plurality of third capillaries, wherein the third capillaries are arranged in a third capillary density and the third capillaries individually having a third cross-sectional shape, a third hydraulic diameter, a third length, and a third length to hydraulic diameter ratio;
• wherein the first zone is located between the second and third zones, and the first zone is closer to a center of the face of the spinneret body than the second and third zones, and wherein the overall length to hydraulic diameter ratio is at least 3 percent.

A process for melt-spinning polymeric filaments, comprising:

• extruding molten polymer through a spinneret to produce a plurality of extruded filaments below the spinneret;
• passing plurality of extruded filaments through a quench region below the spinneret, wherein said filaments are quenched by directing at least one stream of cooling gas in one direction free of opposite flowing cooling gas beneath the spinneret and across the plurality of extruded filaments to provide a plurality of quenched filaments;
• and
• collecting the plurality of quenched filaments,
• wherein the spinneret comprises:
• a spinneret body having a non-circular periphery and is configured to provide a uniform filament denier, that spinneret body has an overall length to hydraulic diameter ratio and defining orifices extending through the spinneret body, wherein the orifices comprise capillaries that open at a face of the spinneret body for polymer filament extrusion therefrom, wherein the capillaries are arranged in a plurality of different rows at the face of the spinneret body, and wherein the plurality of different rows are arranged into a plurality of different zones at the face of the spinneret body, wherein the plurality of different zones comprises:
• (i) a first zone located centrally at the face of the spinneret body, comprising a plurality of first rows, each of said first rows comprising a plurality of first capillaries, wherein the first capillaries are arranged in a first capillary density, and the first capillaries individually having a first cross-sectional shape, a first hydraulic diameter, a first length, and a first length to hydraulic diameter ratio,
• (ii) a second zone located adjacent to the first zone at the face of the spinneret body, comprising a plurality of second rows, each of said second rows comprising a plurality of second capillaries, wherein the second capillaries are arranged in a second capillary density, and the second capillaries individually having a second hydraulic diameter, a second cross-sectional shape, a second length, and a second length to hydraulic diameter ratio, and
• (iii) a third zone located adjacent to the first zone at the face of the spinneret body, comprising a plurality of third rows, each of said third rows comprising a plurality of third capillaries, wherein the third capillaries are arranged in a third capillary density and the third capillaries individually having a third cross-sectional shape, a third hydraulic diameter, a third length, and a third length to hydraulic diameter ratio,
• wherein the first zone is located between the second and third zones,
• wherein the third hydraulic diameter of each of the third capillaries is less than the first hydraulic diameter of each of the first capillaries, and the first hydraulic diameter of each of the first capillaries is less than the second hydraulic diameter of each of the second capillaries,
• wherein the third length of each of the third capillaries is less than the first length of each of the first capillaries, and the first length of each of the first capillaries is less than the second length of each of the second capillaries, and
• wherein the third length to hydraulic diameter ratio of each of the third capillaries is less than the first length to hydraulic diameter ratio of each of the first capillaries, and the first length to hydraulic diameter ratio of each of the first capillaries is less than the second length to hydraulic diameter ratio of each of the second capillaries.